this morning on "early today," rallying around romney. some of the gop front runner's toughest critics rush to his defense after his rivals call him a job killer. dining hazard. scary moments when a tractor trailer wheel crashes through a louisiana restaurant window. and unlucky 13. for friday the 13th, a car thief in china smashes into 13 vehicles during a getaway attempt. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, and very good morning

to you. welcome to our viewers across the nation. i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with romney's record. with a week to go before the south carolina primary, republican contenders are sharpening their attacks on front runner mitt romney and his business career. brian moore joins us now from washington with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, veronica. effective or not, romney's camp is calling these recent attacks desperate. mitt romney is looking and sounding a lot like he's ready to take on president obama in the fall. >> we are going to see the change we're looking for, and it's not barack obama. i believe it's going to be mitt romney. >> reporter: with wins in iowa and new hampshire and a got a shot at sweeping south carolina, romney is still the prime target. >> he ran as a liberal and lost. he governored as a moderate. >> reporter: for days, romney took heat about his business record. the romney camp has four in fired back with its own ad. >> don't be fooled by newt's

desperate attacks. >> reporter: while newt gingrich and rick perry are not apologizing, they are toning down their rhetoric. >> free market capitalism in the state of texas has created over a million jobs. we understand how capitalism needs to work. >> reporter: eight days before the south carolina primary, the candidates who aren't mitt romney are still looking for a winning message. and romney's challenge is to convince conservatives that he is conservative enough. veronica. >> brian moore in washington. thank you. now to the latest on the scandal involving four u.s. marines who allegedly desecrated the bodies of taliban fighters in afghanistan. defense secretary leon pennsylvanpanetta called hamid karzai thursday and called the act inexcusable. the four service members have been identified and two of them

are being questioned at camp lejeune, north carolina. secretary panetta also announced thursday the u.s. will draw about 7,000 troops from europe. the re-deployment is part of the military strategy that president obama announced last week. as tensions soar, the obama administration has used a secret channel of communication to warn iran against closing the strait of hormuz. iran recently staged military exercises after threatening to cut off ship traffic near the persian gulf, a crucial waterway for oil supplies. in the meantime, iran has allowed a delegation of united nations nuclear delegators this month. it's not clear if they'll be permitted to visit nuclear sites. iran denies it is trying to build a nuclear bomb. and here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america.

a texas homeowner's scary brush with death was caught on surveillance video when he confronted a pair of would-be car thieves. the man scuffled with one suspect before suffering from a knife wound and retreating to his home. police are hoping footage of the attack will aid in capturing the suspects. a freak accident caused a major scare inside one louisiana fast food restaurant. a tire from a passing 18-wheeler launched into the front entrance of the eatery after falling off the trailer. four people inside suffered minor injuries. police have argorganized a statewide search for the truck. finally, it's awards season. that means swag for hollywood's stars. the golden globe has opened its one-stop shop where celebrities receive the latest gifts. over 40 companies are taking part. talk about the rich getting richer. this year, merchandise inside each one of those bags worth about $50,000.

>> wow. >> now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. $50,000. >> worth of products that hopefully those companies are hoping the star will wear. >> exactly. the stars in the meantime should give them to us. all those products. >> right, because i'm sure if we wear them, everybody would want them. >> everybody would want them. come on. >> well, good morning, everyone. big changes underway this weekend. looks like we're heading into a stormy weather pattern for the first time in a long while. i think ever since november, practically. we really could use the snow to build up the snow pack. the ski areas would love it. really, we're talking mountainous areas of cascades. temperatures this morning a little bit chilly. especially in the inner mountain west. some of that cold air is going to pour down from alaska as we go throughout the upcoming weekend, especially into sunday

and monday. right now, everything is very calm. high pressure is in control. on the top edge of your screen, there's a storm out there just south of anchorage. that's what's going to sneak down. there's significant cold our behind it. fairbanks, temperatures dropped to minus 15. as this storm heads to the south, it's going to drag some of that cold air with it. some aireas that don't see a lo of snow will have a chance, including seattle. on sunday, chance of snow showers. even into monday. there could be a more significant storm monday into tuesday that we're going to have to watch for the northwest. one of the first in a while. as of now, your friday is calm. everything's just nice. 77 in l.a. beautiful. the northwest, not bad. temperatures recovering into the mid 40s. ada looking great

too. still a little chilly in the northwest. more details on that weekend forecast coming up. >> i know we all know seattle for getting lots of rain, but snow? >> it happens maybe once every winter. they're going to see a couple chances in the next five, six days. >> looks like a lot of snow. >> not a lot. enough to make the kids happy. >> okay. snow angels. home depot is hiring. food lion is firing. and a very unusual recall at bed, bath & beyond. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, could she really be going from one of show biz's bad boys to one of professional sports' altar boys? coming up, nhl all-star rosters are announced and things go from bad to worse for the knicks. you're watching "early today."

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welcome back to "early today." ir ii'm veronica de la . hep here ahere are som hh headlines this morning. president obama will ask congrecongress today to give h power to help the federal government save money. in myanmar, more than 650 political prisoners have been freed as the military government tries to legitimize itself in the eyes of the world. the government also agreed to a cease fire with rebels and started a dialogue with the pro-rebel leader. a group of ammish men have been sentenced to jail for refusing to put orange reflective triangles on their buggies. they say it goes against their vows to lead low-key lives. in china, customers started throwing eggs in protest after the apple store in beijing cancelled plans to sell the new iphone 4s. apple became worried about the

safety after thousands of shoppers camped outside. on this friday the 13th, surveillance video from china shows a driver in a stolen car crashing into 13 vehicles while making a getaway from police. he was blocked by a traffic jam but eventually escaped. the driver was arrested later in the day. and now here is an early look at one of your top health headlines. according to a new study, girls who eat frequent meals and snacks will put on fewer pounds and gain fewer waistline inches over the next decade than those who only eat a couple times a day. while the study's author says it's too early to tell, they expect more frequent meals prevent overeating. for more information, check out the health page online at msnbc.com. and now here's an early look at wall street. the dow opens at 12,471 after adding 21 points yesterday. the s&p was up three points.

the nasdaq gained 13. taking a look at overseas trading this morning in toek yea. the nikkei jump the 114 points. in hong kong, the hang seng rose 109. falling oil and strong european bond auctions drove a late comeback on wall street thursday to bring stocks to close slightly higher. materials and industrials drove the afternoon recovery with caterpillar and alcoa leading the dow. oil fell on europe delaying its iran embargo. also pushing stocks, surprisingly strong bond auctions in italy and spain which eased european debt worries. corn features plunged due to higher than expected supplies. wheat futures also tumbled. december's retail sales rose at weakest pace in seven months.

first-time jobless claims rose higher mainly due to holiday layoffs. electronics surged on a better than expected outlook. wynn results fell on news the vice president sued the company for blocking his access to accounts. home depot will hire workers for the spring. food lion will close 113 locations and cut almost 5,000 jobs. slot machine maker international game technology confirms it plans to acquire double down interactive. finally, here's a product problem you don't hear about every day. bed, bath & beyond is recalling metal tissue holders sold in more than 20 states contaminated with low levels of radioactivity. hockey's all-stars are announced. a fluke goal on the ice. yet, another top ten upset in college hoops. plus, what was supposed to be a rosy year for the new york knicks keeps getting dimmer and

dimmer. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. well, the winter weather has arrived for the midwest and great lakes. next stop, northwest. maybe snow in seattle. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

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ispin sportin sports, thfo game. p here's nbc's frrherhe lolook ap look at alook ar headlines. good morning. thther the np the nht released yesterday. tthp the stathe stars were last night. tp the gathe game will be h at the end of the month. lap last niglast night the york. jasjasop jason spezjason ss against the rangers.pteate fan favorite. the all-stars got it done. they beat the rangers. tim thomas will play in his second all-star game. gave u.s. just one goal on 34 shots. bruins took the lead on a wild play in the first. a crazy bounce off the glass. jordan caron was there. doesn't get any easier than that. the bruins won it 2-1. red wings and coyotes. pavel datsyuk is the lone red

wing in the all-star game. this game decided in a shootout. zetterberg simply undressed mike smith. a great move and finish. red wings won in a shootout 4-3. the all-star game is january 29th on the nbc sports network. puck drops at 4:00 eastern. knicks have struggled this season. this didn't help. carmelo anthony left the game in the third quarter with a sprained ankle. thankfully, the x-rays were negative and he's day to day. rudy gay took over. the knicks folded without their star. the grizzlies win it. finally, an upset in college hoops. austin hollands, a career night. 18 points for the golden gophers. indiana had chances at the end, but they couldn't knock down the big shots when they needed them the most. minnesota shocked everybody and won it 77-74. that's your early look at sports on "early today." have a terrific weekend. i'm fred roggin.

a neck and neck race at the box office and two old action war horses are returning to the big screen. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, from this very first telecast up until this morning, 60 years of the "today" show. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early

today." i'm meteorologist bill karins. forecast for the weekend. we have changes you need to expect and plan for in the northwest as the colder air will move in. we're not going to see too much of that cold air, at least initially, making it to southern california. a beautiful day today to a really nice saturday. notice the showers increase saturday. then the cold air comes in saturday afternoon. by the time we get to sunday, many areas will see some snow and snow showers. so ski areas, they're finally loving the forecast. if you're watching us on kcra 3 in sacramento, california, the scientific discoveries through a collection of clay and metal structures at the crocker art museum. that's your pacific event of the day. >> pretty interesting. >> different. >> what did you just say? >> pseudo. here's another look at this morning's headlines in entertainment news. at the box office this weekend, two new films will battle for

the top spot. the mark wahlberg and kate beckinsale action thriller "contraband" is expected to appeal to men. "joyful noise" stars queen latifah and dolly parton targets women and faith-based audiences. the 3d re-release of disney's "beauty and the beast" will go after families. all three are expected to earn somewhere in the $15 million. elsewhere, heather locklear's family saying she took a dangerous mix of prescription drugs and alcohol. old school action stars sylvester stallone and arnold schwarzenegger will reportly reyunite in an upcoming film. finally, it's reported that katy perry's parents are trying to set up a meeting between her and bronco quarterback tim tebow. this conversation has spurred a lot of talk on twitter. people talking about the best

way to meet someone. >> the dating sites, at work. >> it's interesting how many people will say online dating sites now. everybody gave the no to the parental setup. this one comes to us from new york city where the red carpet was rolled out for some of tv's brightest stars gathering to mark a major milestone in morning television. the 60th anniversary of the "today" was f celebrated. the program has evolved into a dominant television brand and has become a part of the morning routine for millions of americans. coming up, matt, al, and natalie will keep the party going right here on this nbc station. i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "early today." just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

drop anchor in this one london hotel room, and you will think you are the skipper. it's a boat-shaped room sitting atop queen elizabeth hull looking out on the london skyline. its design won a contest to help visitors experience london from a different perspective. at $183 a night, that room is booked through june. one artist in china has created a dragon out of flour and water to honor the year of the dragon. she used over eight pounds of drew. measuring about four feet, is

symbolizes prosperity. all right. fierce storms in the netherlands have one nursery there at double its normal occupancy. high tides in the region have wreak the havoc on the seals. workers hope to help the group recuperate by feeding them herring, sometimes lacing it with medication. full recovery could take up to three months. >> that's why my new goal in life is to hand feed a seal pup. >> that's your new goal in life? >> i'm very jealous of that person. >> i am too, but is that really your goal? >> yes. until i accomplish that, i will not rest. >> okay. bill karins. time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. in virginia, a hearing will be held in a suit for gop candidates who did not make the ballot. the judge in the case has

already indicated a provision allowing only virginia residents to circulate petitions. in peru, joran van der sloot will be sentenced after pleading guilty to killing a peruvian woman in 2010. he remains the prime suspect in natalee holloway's disappearance in aruba. and happy birthday to actress julia louis-dreyfus. happy birthday. all day long, you can stay on top of the latest developments on those stories and others on msnbc. tonight, be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." later on the "today" show, past anchors return to look at some of the best moments. and the latest on actress heather locklear after she was rushed to the hospital for reportedly taking a mix of drugs and alcohol. keep it here for your local

news. i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "early today." just your first stop of the day on your nbc station. have a terrific weekend.